The Journal of San Diego History
SAN DIEGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY QUARTERLY
Fall 2001, Volume 47, Number 4
Gregg Hennessey, Editor
Book Notes
Kyle E. Ciani, Reviews Editor
Encyclopedia of the Mexican-American War.
Edited by Mark Crawford. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 1999. 350 Pages, maps, illustrations, chronology, bibliography, index. $75.00 Cloth.
ABC-Clio, one of the giants in the history reference publishing business, has added significantly to their publication list with an encyclopaedia of the Mexican war. It includes 450 entries, arranged alphabetically. They cover topics pertinent to the causes of the war, United States and Mexican perspectives on the conflict, and insights into Mexican-American society and culture. Crawford has chosen to focus less on traditional battles and leaders, but rather on the everyday soldiers, and unique detailed vignettes which capture the flavor of this tragic confrontation between two neighbors. Thus some of the traditional topics are covered briefly (the battle of San Pascal, for example, is given less than 200 words, and the major battle of Buena Vista three pages), but instead there are many entries seldom found in Mexican-American War literature: The Polkas Revolt, or the village of Ramos, or Luis de la Rosa. As such, even the most knowledgeable aficionado of this War will find new information in this encyclopedia.
